used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
Ben'snounUS /benz/
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
crowverbUS /kroʊ/
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
crower
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
ElmnounUS /elm/
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
flapverbUS /flæp/
move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
Hadlock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
hensnounUS /henz/
plural of “hen” — adult female chicken
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
PETE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
QUESTnounUS /kwest/
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
raftnounUS /ræft/
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
roosternounUS /ˈruːstər/
adult male chicken
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
Sally'snounUS /ˈsæliz/
possessive form of “sally” — witty remark
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
express in words
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
carry out
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Sam Hadlock,” said his mother, “they say Ben’s gone to Boston on a raft, all alone.
a special situation
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PETE, IN QUEST OF REVENGE, COMES TO GRIEF.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don’t believe it; but go right over and see what it all means, and take Sally’s hens on.”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading The first thing a rooster does, upon finding himself in a strange place, is to flap his wings and crow, in order that it may be known he is round.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Sam arrived at Elm Island about dusk, with the hens and a crower.
